The Great Taaj

Don’t listen to the negative reviews. This is by far the best Indian restaurant in Spokane. My family and I have travelled all over the US and always look for good Indian. The food is excellent! Very well spiced and extremely generous portions. Always have leftovers. It’s 7.99 for a huge hot plate of chicken tikka. At taste of India it’s 13.99 for half the chicken!

This place serves one of the worst Indian food ever. Period. I’d say the Naan and Tandoori chicken were the best of all. Chicken Biryani was stale without any Chicken pieces in it. The curries were bland and flavorless. Dessert was ‘Kheer’ which was simply disgusting. I crave for a lot of Indian food around here and I’d rather make my own food than going to this place.

Another great meal at The Taaj. Simple, flavorful and fresh Indian food that is good for the soul. We love the vegetable samosas and the bindi masala. But the lunch buffet is also a great call. Lots of variety. We come here every time we’re in Spokane. Yum!

Ordered a pickup delivery for a family of 5. It was ready when scheduled and the staff was friendly. Will probably check out the $ 9.99 lunch buffet, as dinner was reasonably good. Chicken Tikka Masala and Dahl were both tasty.

I used to work at a place half a block from this restaurant. One day, about 3 years ago, I was walking through the parking lot of the motel behind the Taaj and I saw one of the kitchen help taking a smoke break. When he finished his cigarette, he went to the dumpster, pulled up his apron and urinated on the ground.
That settled ever going back as far as I was concerned.
The owner of the Great Taaj replied to my review stating the restaurant was not there three years ago. Perhaps it was not. However, an Indian restaurant was there and the Taaj sign was up. The Inlander reviewed the restaurant in 2011. And I saw the Kitchen help go inside the back door of the restaurant after urinating by the dumpster.
Perhaps the same restaurant has new owners?

When it comes to this type of food a lot of how much you like it comes down to preference. What I mean is, there are two clearly different yet similar types of Indian food based on region. This restaurant, while they did nothing wrong per say, is just not my style. This is more akin to Southern Indian food. The Biryani which I ordered comes with raisins which is Southern style and there wasn’t any almonds or other key ingredients I am used to in Northern Indian food. The raita was made with onion in it which again is not what I am used to, for me typically it has cucumber and tomato only with spices and this was lacking in the spices and lemon. The chicken in the Biryani was slightly dry but that’s about it and as for service, I picked up to go the younger gentleman was business as usual nothing impressive when I told him it was my first time there he didn’t show enthusiasm or welcome me. It was mediocre at best for me.
I personally will not be back again, because I prefer the other Indian restaurants here in Spokane and the Valley.

Most likely the restaurant is owned by family members and the employees are all family members, which is why the service was bad. There were two waiters that were waiting on us, which was why they each came over and asked us if our orders were taken and how was everything. It was really annoying to have someone come over half a dozen times.
One waiter was in particular rude because he acted impatient about us leaving, even though there was plenty of seating available. We were only there for about an hour. It was very awkward to be pushed out like that.
The food was horrible! It tasted like they have us the left overs they were going to give their dog, but then we arrived and so they handed it to us. The rice was dry and cold. The garlic Naan bread probably tasted good when it was fresh, but was soggy and cold. The lamb bhuna I had was cold and the meat tasted bland, like cat food. My friend didn’t like the chicken dish she had or the rice. I had Indian Masala tea and it tasted watered down.
One waiter told us to go up front when we were ready to pay for our meal. We told that waiter that we were paying separately. Of course the other waiter wanted us to pay at the table and already had our check as one instead of seperate. When we walked over to pay at front (I didn’t trust they would seperate it correctly) the waiter acted very annoyed.
I highly do not recommend this place. I feel cheated having to have payed for that meal. I’m never going back again.

Authentic and flavourful food, consistently good, I’ve ordered from here 6 times since I moved here in November and I have never been disappointed. The lamb biryani is everything. Try this place!

I’ve always been a fan of Indian food but I had never gone to Taaj on 3^rd Avenue until today for lunch. To sum it up, it was delicious. The food at the buffet was fresh and very well prepared and presented. the rice was perfect and the tandoori chicken was to die for! While some on this site have made less than great comments… I don’t think they have ever had the pleasure of dining at Taaj ! Maybe they just like to complain. If you like Indian food… you’ll love Taaj.

It seems that The Great Taaj is getting very mixed reviews on Unilocal.This is unfortunate because every experience I’ve had here so far has been good. Perhaps is just a question of consistency and that I’ve been very lucky the nearly dozen-​plus times so far.
I’ve had options from their samosas and stuffed naans to various curries to plenty of other entrees. I recommend the stuffed naans. I’ve had the paneer and lamb options. They were well-​seasoned and well stuffed. The samosas are also quite good, hitting the table crisp and piping hot. I wasn’t expected to be worried about filling up on just the order of stuffed naan and samosas at the beginning. Portion sizes aren’t skimpy here.
The malai kofta, which are essentially lentil and pea fritters are excellently seasoned in a rich tomatoey sauce. I’ve had better saag paneer, but it wasn’t bland and was still enjoyable. The lamb vindaloo was excellent as well. The tandoori chicken was well seasoned and cooked. It was juicy and not overcooked and dry. I don’t think I need to go on about what I had.
The service is decent, not excellent but it’s not bad. I’m not a fan of a TV in the dining room but I don’t mind the Bollywood music over the speakers.
The buffet is also good for those who maybe want to taste of many things without committing wholly to a particular entrée. They serve anything from saag paneer to tandoori chicken to aloo gobi to fish pakora. It’s a cheap and quick way to get more bang for you buck even if ordering off the dinner menu would be much better. I think the entrees out on the line are pretty good compared to other Indian buffets I’ve tried. Also, it’s a buffet. Don’t get your hopes too high.
Note: This is of my own experiences as well as those of those who joined me for food.

Plates never cleared. Buffer was cold and stale and had little meat in some of the dishes. It was just so bland for indian food. The service is terrible as well.

Entering a restaurant tells you a lot about the place, but it doesn’t reflect the food. The Great Taaj Indian Cuisine in Spokane, Washington was just this. Upon entering the glass door was a bit dirty, the floor and tables seemed frumpy, but the aroma and food quality were smacking good. The two young men staffing the restaurant were pleasant and welcoming. Two televisions blared a bollywood show, which added to the far-​away ambiance. The server asked us if wanted naan (flatbread) and we ordered two types (there are eleven types to choose from). The deli-​style lunch offered about twenty or so options from tandoori chicken, several curries and vegetarian options. The naan at Taj was exquisite, freshly prepared, with a perfect flavor-​texture balance. My experience at Taaj was transcendent because now I understand that you really can’t tell a restaurant by its cover.

If you love Indian food as much as I do, Don’t go here. You’ll be sorely disappointed. The Chicken Tika Malasa was awful, the lamb curry was awful, the best part was the Indian tea & garlic naan. Aside from the fact that the tea took forever to come out, and never once did they offer a refill.
Craving Indian food, and this place is right next to my hotel. I’d rather drive to Spokane Valley & get better Indian food & better service!

It wasn’t the greatest, but I live in Montana without Indian food, so I still liked it.

The service was good. The food was good. We asked for spice & got medium at best. The bathrooms are sooooo gross! They need to update and clean everything. Carpet needs to go!

I was not really impressed. I came here on a Sunday at about 11:15 they open at 11:00. I was the first person there. Half of the items were cold and/​or room temperature. The Fish Pakora, tandoori chicken (it was cold) and Nann were the only highlights for me. Everything else seemed to have the wrong temperature, wrong consistency or was over/​under flavored. The waitress was very nice, but there were clearly owners/​operators in and out that did not greet or speak to any customers.

Great food! I found the sauces and lassi to be thinner than they should be, but the flavors were still good. The hot and buttery naan was probably the best I’ve ever had.
Beyond the thin sauces, I also reduced stars because the waiter was a little over-​casual and didn’t seem like he wanted to be there. As an FYI for über-​conservative customers, the TVs were playing Indian gangster rap including people being shot in nearly every video. I have no problem with rap music, but I find it to be slightly incongruous with a delicious eating experience.

Love Indian food, but we had never been to this place– food was great, good service, and fast. Bathrooms were run down and not the cleanest, but I would come back again!
We had tikka chicken masala, chicken saag and shrimp curry– all medium which was on the hotter side of things, all very good. And the garlic naan was fabulous.

We had our choice tonight… We have a babysitter and are headed to a concert. Guess what? We chose here. Sooooo good! Not busy and good service. Just get here to eat!

Spent the night in Spokane last night, so I walked up to The Great Taaj for dinner. I had eaten there once before, a year ago on a work trip to Spokane, and remember enjoying it. I’m not sure how this place stays in business, because there is never anyone in there, but the food is delicious! I ordered the chicken tikka masala, and added mushrooms. Mushrooms are my favorite, but I’ve never seen another Indian restaurant that offers adding them to the curries. Anyway, medium spicy had a good kick, and the mushrooms added a nice, different texture to the dish. The naan is a little thicker than at other Indian joints, but still good.
Is this the best Indian food I’ve ever had? No. But it’s a nice treat when I’m visiting Spokane. Hopefully the residents of Spokane will discover the tastiness of Indian food and keep this place in business for the next time I’m in town!